1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera having an image stabilizer for stabilizing an image formed on a film surface when the image shakes due to unstable movement of the camera. The present invention also relates to a method of controlling such a camera, and further relates to a method of compensating the image shake of such a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image stabilizer used for an optical device that is provided in a photographic optical system thereof with a variable-vertical-angle prism which is controlled to vary the vertical angle thereof to compensate the shaking of an image formed on a sensitive film surface (hereinafter also referred to as "image shake") has been proposed. Another type of image stabilizer used for an optical device that is provided with a mechanism for moving at least a part of a photographic optical system in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the photographic optical system has been proposed. In the case where either conventional type image stabilizer is used for a camera, the variable-vertical-angle prism or the moving part of the photographic optical system needs to be arranged within the photographic lens (photographic lens barrel), which increases the size of the photographic lens. Furthermore, providing an image stabilizer within a photographic lens generally limits the design and arrangement of the lens elements, the shutter mechanism, the zooming mechanism, and other components in the photographic lens. In particular, in the case of a lens-interchangeable camera system, providing an image stabilizer in an interchangeable lens is not practical.
Furthermore, depending on the type of image stabilizer, the optical path length between the photographing lens and an image plane may vary to thereby cause the focal point to deviate from an optimum point thereof when a compensation system is moved to compensate image shake.